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@@davidgriffiths6179 great tips thanks, always good to get input from another owner :) would you say more about “wheels straps are a mare” please? e.g. did yours get stuck, or damage you wheels, or snap, etc.? Thanks!

@@tomglasgow9967 thank you so much for taking the time to write such a lovely comment, it’s very much appreciated. I certainly try to produce the sort of detailed, useful content I would find helpful, don’t always succeed, but always try to do my best (once a girl guide, always a girl guide, or) years of science training showing through ;-)

@@kellybodie6022 hope all goes well, and happy camping :)

1) it was a few years ago, but I’m pretty sure we did this when the van was new and if I recall it worked just fine, except a pain to get to the rear seats (good for luggage though!), can’t remember if they slid as far back as the bench because of how the rails are set up (outer rails go further back)… maybe it was the table not sliding back far enough… although that’s not the most useful thing relative to the space it takes up so loads of folks leave it out, and 2) I can’t see why not, the bench is heavy though so best to weigh/check with a dealer in case it cuts into your payload too much, and it’s deep front to back, so I’d also measure the door width relative to the middle row being as far forward as you would have it, to make sure people can get in and out of the 3rd row safely before investing in a 2nd bench. Also check insurance/licence requirements if carrying more people than it was originally designed for… hope that helps and glad the vid was helpful :)

@@CaraVanOlogywithBecky Thank you for the reply! Very helpful indeed!

Sounds like a fuse; fingers crossed that it’s nothing worse, and you’re able to sort it quickly. Best wishes.

It was indeed a fuse! You are the Camper Whisperer😂

@@Theblackcaravanlady it’s very liberating, enjoy! Perfectly understandable to be nervous, it’s a new adventure; you’ll soon get the hang of it, just take it steady, tell yourself you can do it, and you’ll soon be brilliant :)

Yup, still going strong, really impressed :) do take time to really prep though, I think that was the key to success because muck finds a way if the seal isn’t perfect!

@@Papaziza85 % accuracy claimed by manufacturer translated into Kg and compared to a weigh bridge within the video. In practice the measurements I got were close ie with a couple of Kg if I remember correctly, so at least reproducible, even if it’s not a regularly calibrated bit of precision scientific equipment. Hope that helps, thanks for watching.

Thank you

Hello there, I have borrowed this tool and not sure if it measure accurately. I tried to stand on it a deviation was like 12%. Asked my kids to do the same and deviation was like a lot lot lot more 😔 not convinced that I want it. Have you ever compared with calibrated tool like weight on junkyard?

@@Papaziza85 did it come with the instructions? I recall (sorry, ages ago!) the instructions saying something about putting pieces of timber, etc. of approx the same depth either side of the scale (not too close, otherwise the scale won’t take the full weight of the wheel), then driving over it at a gentle speed, rather than using it like eg a bathroom scale. Luckily we live on a v quiet road, so easily achieved with 2 of us, 1 driving, 1 moving the measurement equipment). Bear in mind you also need a level road surface for accuracy. When I tried weighing myself (before I read the instructions) any sort of lean made the readings vary madly, something to do with how the sensors are set up to operate. And no I haven’t compared with a weigh bridge because the ones close to us are an absolute pain to get into, hence why I tried this scale.

Instructions says to go over the scale gently. Not really saying about support of an timber to avoid leaning. Today I found the bathroom scale technic. Pretty impressive and have to try.

@@TheAndyMaan yep still using it, zero faults, niggles, or anything weird to report, doesn’t seem to be behaving any differently than when brand new so very pleased indeed :) Subsequently bought another one for laptop backup in the home office as we were experiencing house power cuts! I haven’t ever got around to checking whether it’s a regulated output unfortunately so cannot confirm. Mostly I run my front and rear dash cam system, charge phones and the van’s espresso machine which uses a USB C to C rapid charger. I assume the battery inside the espresso machine is 1 or more 18650s (as are many of my torches) so the closest I’ve got to checking the power output is the usb c cables I use have a power indicator on them which seems stable, but that’s hardly a proper scientific check, and of course that’s on the usb side not the 12v socket itself, which is hardly ever used as nearly everything is usb these days. Hope that helps a little, best wishes.

@@CaraVanOlogywithBecky Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, that's great to hear it's been faultless for you so far and you've even got another one. I'll keep an eye on Amazon prime deals over the next few days and see if it drops in price much 👍

So (trying to reset my brain back to A level physics…) I think (and I’m open to an actual practicing, highly qualified physicist/engineer correcting this assertion because it’s been a few years!) that when you stand on the bathroom scale with only one foot in contact, the scale should show 120Kg assuming you’re standing still and perfectly perpendicular to the scale, because the entire force of your body is carried through that one foot. When a vehicle scale is used on a single axle trailer unless you’re some sort of top gear caravan bashing, stunt driver, 3 points are still in contact with the ground when measuring I.e. the wheel on the scale, the wheel not on the scale, and the jockey wheel (which may be in contact with the ground directly, or via being hitched to the car). Either the instructions say, or we (as a pair of pedantic sci/eng PhDs) decided to find an equal height to the scale bit of timber for the wheel not being measured, to eliminate cosine error I.e. the error that will be introduced if the force of the wheel being measured is not being applied perfectly perpendicularly to the ground. For example, if a trailer was 5degrees off level the error would be approx 4kg for every 1000kg of measured weight ie not a lot! In summary I think there’s effectively no “ahah more payload!” moments available sadly and bear in mind those sort of errors are nothing compared to the inherent inaccuracies of these devices and weighbridges anyway I.e. try to leave yourself a bit of “wiggle room” rather than maxing out the payload. The sort of scientific accuracy scales needed for accurate weighing at this magnitude of trailer are £10s thousands and carefully calibrated precision scientific instruments (they have to be if VOSA want to take it to court!). For me this device was an easy to use rough solution where ease of use outweighed inaccuracy especially as the official weighbridge near me wasn’t much more accurate for my 1400Kg caravan anyway so there was no better solution! This at least gave me a rough idea, which for me was better than no idea. Thanks for the standing like a pirate image and I enjoyed reading your brain dump and thinking about the reply :) Best wishes, Becky

@@CaraVanOlogywithBecky Many thanks. That does all make sense. Might buy one for peace of mind and convenience but still try to use the weight bridge too. Thanks again 👍

Thanks for your kind words, very much appreciated. The van has had zero tuning. It came out of the factory at 199PS because it was bought not long after the VW emissions scandal and rumour has it that they just tuned everything down to comply, hence it’s 199PS rather than the previous (and subsequent) 204PS. I can open the tailgate fully BUT the jockey wheel handle has to be pointing left, or right, or backwards I.e. away from the boot, which is easy to adjust via the clamp if it doesn’t naturally land there, the main shaft doesn’t foul just the winder “knob”, or just slightly unwind when you need access AND I’d caution that my A frame is longer than most U.K. caravan ones so the jockey might be positioned further back than whatever caravan you choose. Having said that I rarely need to open the boot because access to whatever’s in the back is super easy from inside the van… the one annoying thing is that the factory tow ball (Westfalia) is super close to the bumper, it fits an Alko hitch just fine but it’s not as spacious as the XC60 I used to tow with but check that any after market electrics are vehicle specific because I understand they can be a total pain to retrofit, hence I went for factory fit which has been perfect :) Best wishes for a fantastic adventure!

Hi, mine came directly from Maxx Raxx but sadly they’ve ceased trading now, a few previous retailers such as roofbox.co.uk and other trailer specialists who used to fit them still have a few spares I believe BUT the swan neck adaptor was specialist fit only as it had to be fitted in a precise location, at correct angles, and to an exact torque setting hence it was never supplied as DIY. With an electric folding swan neck I’d also wonder whether there is room to accommodate the coupling which is permanently attached to the swan neck when folded. It was a seriously chunky lump of steel as you’d expect. I’ve never owned an electric hitch so no idea how much clearance vehicle manufacturers leave… good luck in the search, hope it works out in the end :)

@@CaraVanOlogywithBecky Thanks Becky, I think I might be out of luck, a chap did come back to me saying he had a MaxxRaxx swan neck adapter that still allowed the use of the tow ball which sounded similar to yours (i've asked for a picture etc), but from what you say that sounds unlikely to fit .

Hi, yep still my levelling device of choice. Compact (heavy but fits in a relatively small space), and easy to use :) Have to admit I’ve only had to use it a couple of times each year as we’ve been lucky enough to find ourselves on relatively flat pitches, but it still looks good even with some black tyre prints on now, and works as perfectly as it did new. Zero plans to change :) Did I have anything underneath it when I recorded the video? If not then I’ve added a couple of simple interlocking small exercise foam type floor mats just in case there are any especially sharp gravel bits, I think it would be fine, it’s made of tough stuff, but the mats also keep the underside a bit cleaner if we’re on grass, so also good for cleaner pack up. Thanks for watching.

Thats brilliant thank you so much for your reply. I’m pretty sure that you did not have anything underneath it when you did the video but that is a great idea Have a great season Andrew

Hi, unfortunately not had a chance to do that yet. Overall extremely pleased with it (only towing a 1400Kg Eriba though, but can compare directly with the previous D5 XC60, which I was happy with) other than the factory (Westfalia) tow bar which is solid but a) far too close to the bumper and b) the breakaway attachment point is on the detachable stem of the tow ball, with zero other possibilities to attach the breakaway! Niggles, but annoying ones. Also happy to answer any specific questions.

@@CaraVanOlogywithBecky Thanks for the reply Becky. Sounds positive. We have a 1675kg Coachman and with the other research I've been doing I have no doubt the 190? (or thereabouts) Caravalle would be more than capable. And the internal flexibility is exactly what we need to allow us to wheel our heavy eBikes straight in the back after removing a couple of seats, with awning etc. and then use it as a 6/7 seater for the family when needed. My biggest concern is really ride quality when towing. We currently have a Nissan Navara pickup truck which is absolutely fine for our day to day needs. But once the van is on the back the ride quality is horrible and every bump feels like we're going to break something on either the truck or the caravan - or me 😟 And even though we're not buying anywhere near brand new (probably 2013-2016 T5) this is likely to be our forever vehicle as I'm just retiring. SO I need to get it right, ideally experiencing the ride when towing for myself.

@@TheCaravanGoodLife we have friends with 3 children, 150bhp Beach who tow a big Bailey twin axle and who we consulted before I splashed the cash on ours as it is a huge investment so completely with you on check as much as poss first! Mine is the 199PS, 4motion, version 199 because it's the 204bhp version turned down due to the emissions scandal! My sister has the 150bhp 2WD Kombi and she's happy (but not quite so much of a "researcher/reflector on experiences" as me...) and towing a similar weight to mine. Having never towed with hers I can't say whether my 4motion makes any difference, or the fact that the Caravelle is slightly lower out of the factory than the van/kombi versions, or anything else... She might let me behind the wheel one day... Compared to our previous tow car, an XC60 (D5 R design i.e. stiffer suspension than non Rdesign) my thoughts are that the Caravelle driving alone is a much more comfortable ride in a straight line, but has a serious tendency to "wallow" going around corners, regardless of speed (without a reasonable range) especially compared to the XC60, which was planted, amazing really for an SUV and perhaps not surprising for a tall van like the Caravelle. But put the caravan on the back and there's basically no difference to ride quality in the Caravelle. I frequently wonder whether the ride quality is better when towing due to the caravan stopping the back end of the Caravelle wobbling a bit, or just if I take corners far more carefully...! I do have to watch the nose weight though, because I can tell if I get bumping it's off. For reference the 1400Kg Eriba on the back has shocks, 3A self adjusting brakes, and the chassis is approx 10cm lower than I think every other caravan out there i.e. it's optimally configured for smooth towing. In terms of systems and car like refinements, I had all the toys fitted to the Caravelle as I was making a long term investment. My assessment is that they are good, but not quite as refined as the equivalents in the Volvo. For example, although the Caravelle is 6 years newer than our XC60 was, I find the adaptive cruise on the Caravelle not as smooth as the XC60 (or maybe it's German efficiency vs Swedish design...), the XC60 seemed to "see" other traffic sooner and react in a more refined manner slowing down before it needed too, to maintain the spacing, whereas the VW algorithm reacts much later, causing the vehicle to need to brake for itself much more often than driving in the same conditions with the XC60. Overall, towing with a van has been absolutely fantastic, it's such an adaptable space that it works brilliantly for us as a vehicle in itself and as a tow vehicle. I have removed some seats, and fitted a basic kitchen so we're good for lounging and fresh espresso wherever we go! One thing to watch out for is the weight of the ebikes you have vs the weight that the carrier and rear door can take. The axle should be fine as long as you're mindful of loading distribution inside the caravelle, but the rack might not be. I have the Fiamma rack rather than the VW, or Thule one, because a) it sits closer to the rear window, thus maximising the space between the bikes and the caravan and ) it was the only one at the time that came in black (vain I know!). It can just about take our 4 ordinary bikes, but when I upgraded mine to an e mountain bike, it's technically slightly over the single bike limit even with the battery off. So just something to double check before buying :) Hope that download of thoughts helps - all the best!

Hello, I believe you can get an Isabella Capri North awning for the Feeling, I’ve seen the Touring version and it’s very nice (particularly the grey, there is also a pleasant dark blue I believe), but I’ve never seen a Feeling one.

Hello, how long does the setup of the awning take for one person a) at the first time and b) when you've practiced it well?

I’ve never noticed it as an issue but a) I have the factory fit towbar (Westfalia) which is ridiculously close to the bumper, far too close in my opinion, the Alko fits but just, as it’s on the minimum recommended spacing! I have the Caravelle so I don’t know if that makes the bumper plastic any deeper than say the kombi van version, and b) A frames on Eribas are quite long, especially compared to U.K. manufactured vans, which is great for us as it gives me plenty of clearance when there are bikes on the back of the tow van :) But also I don’t tend to open the tailgate much when towing, I have a kitchen & day van storage ie coffee equipment in the van boot ;-) but when the caravan is on just use those facilities eg in the services, so we tend to travel with the van rear seats pushed right back on the floor rails and just pile eg awnings/kayaks/etc. in the middle. We don’t have a dog so no need for a boot crate, etc. For long trips, or if there’s lots of stuff that might move around in an emergency I slide the rear van seats forward but still access the stuff from inside via the side door, because of that rear kitchen unit. So no problems to report for our set up, but I completely get your concern, in theory you should be able to roughly calculate if there is enough clearance as the boot measurements are online. Happy shopping, love our day van as a tow van, so practical :)

@CaraVanOlogywithBecky hi, thank you for the feedback, great stuff, we will definitely need the boot access, glad you haven't had any issues. Hopefully we can get a 4motion. Cheers.

Van + small caravan has been brilliant for us, I’d definitely recommend. Of course there are downsides such as it’s a bit of a squash on a rainy day with no awning now the kids are full mansized, but overall this combo is brilliantly flexible, low stress and adaptable to whatever party size we happen to be that outing :) and sorry no fuel economy data (embarrassing to admit for a scientist!). My gut feel is that the Feeling doesn’t make a huge dent in the fuel economy, it’s only a tiny bit taller and wider after all but I’ve no proper data to back that up! Good luck and happy travels :)

Ha thanks, appreciate it! Considered it (briefly) until I added up all the time it took to get just right and realised even with the inevitable time savings that come with practice and templates there was no chance I was going into business! I made mine because my roof bed isn’t standard size and it’s far taller than a campervan so I didn’t have much choice and even if I could find someone to make me an external solution it would have meant balancing on a high ladder with a thing flapping like a sail. Saw some really cool looking external campervan ones at the recent NEC show, they’re in my walk through video, hall 5 I think… if not it’ll be hall 4. Back when I was in the planning stage for this, I did come across an internal campervan specific solution though. Sorry I forget what it was called, I’ll comment again if it suddenly comes to me… if I recall it had poppers that had to be screwed to the roof, which the insulation curtain popped onto. There was another one which attached with velcro, Brandrup Isotop I think it was, expensive though…

Thanks for getting back to me , I've seen the Isotop version but unfortunately they seem to only do them for SWB campers and mines a LWB think there's also a company over in Spain that make version but they need to see my van before they will make me one , maybe not a bad solution 🤣 . Could be time to get myself a sewing machine and get my sleeves rolled up. Like I say fantastic job , really good @@CaraVanOlogywithBecky

You’re very welcome, glad it was helpful :)

Impressed with your dedication to the cause, that’s 11k steps you can each add to your daily count ;-) thanks for the great commentary, very much appreciated :)

My double take moment, seeing that what I’d previously thought was a “large” Knaus parked directly next to the Morelo ;-) climbing wall was amazing!